B.C. must also grant about 60 permits and some environmental groups want to use that provincial power as leverage in their battle against the pipeline and tanker traffic.

The B.C.-based Dogwood Initiative is organizing a referendum by B.C. voters on the pipeline similar to the one that defeated HST. If people vote against it, the province could exercise its power and withhold permits, despite federal approval, said Will Horter, executive director of Dogwood Initiative.

“This is about democracy,” he added.

ForestEthics Advocacy vows to make the pipeline a federal election issue in 2015.

“This isn’t over until tankers are filling up with Enbridge’s oil on the coast, and that is never going to happen — the people of B.C. have spoken and are steadfast against it,” said Ben West, oilsands campaign director for ForestEthics.

In Alberta, the Pembina Institute says the federal government’s big mistake is approving the new pipeline before announcing its long-awaited greenhouse gas regulations to limit emissions from the oil and gas sector.

The pipeline approval will “send a clear signal to expand” production from the current two million barrels a day without any measures to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, said Pembina spokesperson Erin Flanagan. “It’s inconsistent with our goals for fighting climate change.”

Mike Hudema of Greenpeace Alberta said the pipeline will accelerate other environmental problems such as tailings ponds and destruction of the boreal forest.

NEXT FOR ENBRIDGE

The federal government said Tuesday that many steps lie ahead of Enbridge Inc. in its effort to build the Northern Gateway pipeline.

The government accepted the joint review panel’s recommendation to approve the project subject to 209 conditions, and said the National Energy Board will now issue certificates of public convenience and necessity.

“This is only one step in the process,” the government release said. “There are a number of major steps before construction can begin. The timing of construction will depend on how the proponent proceeds.”

Enbridge will need NEB approval for the detailed pipeline route and location of the final right of way.

The company must publish a notice in local newspapers and provide a written notice to all owners of lands proposed to be acquired.

If objections are filed within 30 days, the NEB is to hold public hearings on the detailed route to consider landowner concerns and the proponent’s views.

The project would require a range of approvals and authorizations at the federal level, including approvals from the NEB authorizing construction and operation of the pipelines.

The project would need approval to cross rivers, railway lines and reserves.

LOCAL ECONOMIC IMPACT

The Northern Gateway pipeline will provide both a windfall and a challenge to Edmonton.

Enbridge’s $7.9-billion project will pump millions into manufacturing and engineering, but will also tie up the local workforce.

“There is going to be greater demand for labour, so we need to attract new people to the region for employment,” Brad Ferguson, president and chief executive of the Edmonton Economic Development Corp., says. “Either we get it, or the cost of labour goes up.

“It places a lot of responsibility and pressure on us.”

James Cumming, president of the Edmonton Chamber of Commerce, said the pipeline will provide both near- and long-term opportunities for Edmonton. Local businesses will reap more than $200 million in goods and services contracts, and energy companies will benefit through greater market access for their products.

“Access to markets is vital to Edmonton business and the economy,” Cumming said. “Moving commodities to tidewater, and then to the globe, ensures continuation of the tax base we need to sustain our way of life.”

Gil McGowan, president of the Alberta Federation of Labour, said the decision to approve the pipeline will prove costly to unionized workers. The AFL appeared before the federal a panel reviewing the project and fought against it.

“We are not opposed to pipelines or access to new markets, but we are opposed to shipping thousands of high-paying jobs to other jurisdictions,” McGowan said. “Canada needs a policy that keeps value-added jobs in the country before we need a pipeline.”

NATIONAL POLITICS FALLOUT

With Gateway opponents in B.C. lining up for a major battle, there’s speculation Stephen Harper’s Conservatives may lose some seats there in the federal election expected in the fall of 2015.

Hoping to gain political points, all other federal parties attacked the Harper decision to give the green light to the pipeline as recommended by the National Energy Board.

But predicting Harper losses in B.C. may well be premature, said political scientist Duayne Bratt, of Mount Royal University.

The pipeline may well be tied up in courts when the election is called, so it may not emerge as a major issue, he said.

Also, Harper downplayed his government’s role with his “lukewarm” endorsement of the pipeline.

“He never uses the word approval, he says he is accepting the recommendation of the NEB and that’s it,” said Bratt. “He issued a news release and ran away.”

Politically, that position is defensible because he is upholding the independence and recommendations of the well-respected National Energy Board, said Bratt. If he had overruled the board, as the federal Liberals would do, that would be controversial.

Still, B.C. Premier Christy Clark holds many of the cards and is keeping them close, says Bratt.

She continues to oppose the pipeline unless her five conditions are met, he said.

So it’s not clear if there will be a major battle between Ottawa and B.C. At this point, such a showdown seems unlikely, as the pipeline has so many hoops to go through before a final decision is made, Bratt added.

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